


Finding Your Place In The Sky

by BirdieDell



Category: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, E and R are legal guardians of a teenager, Eponine and Musichetta have a doctor's office together, Established Relationship, F/M, It Gets Better, Les Amis as Uncles, M/M, Magical Talisman - Freeform, Magical familial line, Multi, Starts with major character death, Toddler!Gavroche, Very comforting Uncles, Who's magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-13 20:28:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11767749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdieDell/pseuds/BirdieDell
Summary: Fantine Fauchelevent-Pontmercy discovers her magical birthright after experiencing the death of both her parents, Marius and Cosette. She is fortunate enough to have a large circle of Uncles to fall back on.





	1. Fantine is Suddenly Motherless, but Remains Uncle-ful

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Witchboy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4051375) by [tothewillofthepeople](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tothewillofthepeople/pseuds/tothewillofthepeople). 



> This is my first time writing about magic but I was inspired by other magical fics on here though I know mine won't be nearly as good I still wanted to try. This first chapter is just world building.  
> Thanks to WahtaOwl for the beta and for telling me this was a perfectly fine way to spend practically the whole day when I darn well could have been doing other things.

Fantine found out her mother died the same day she left her Metro Pass in the pocket of her favorite striped jacket, which she had left behind in one of the classrooms in her school, and then only remembered it after her tutoring session at the local library, when all the doors to the school were already locked.

She also felt she was coming down with a cold and of course her only wad of tissues was in the pocket of her jacket too. She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her shirt and then sat down miserably on a bench to call her mother to come get her.

“Hello! It's Cosette!” her mother's cheery voice sounded, but it was only her auto message. “I'm not available to take your glorious call right now but I'd absolutely loOooOOove to chat, so leave me a little message right after the cute little chime!”

“Muuuuummmm,” whined Fantine. “I lost my Metro Pass, and I don't have any money in my bank account, and my throat feels all scratchy and horrible, and some guy is looking at me weird over there, and I'm going to call my Uncles now to see if they can come get me, but if you get this, just text me, okay?”

She then called each of her Uncles in turn, hoping one of them would be around to come get her.

Grantaire didn't pick up and Fantine remembered hearing him say he would be setting up some of his artwork at the La Maison Rouge. She tried Feuilly next and got an automatic message saying that the number was no longer in service, so he probably hadn't paid his bill. Combeferre and Courfeyrac were having a beach holiday with Courfeyrac's sisters and the combined group of 8 children. Bahorel never brought his phone with him when he was working out at the gym, which he usually did around this time. Jehan had a poetry reading. Joly was probably seeing patients. Enjolras was the most serious and the least coddling of the men she called her Uncles, and it's true his law office was actually close enough to walk to, but her head was now throbbing so she called him anyway and then whined dramatically into the phone when he answered.

“Uncle E, I lost my Metro Pass, and I think I have the flu....” she had been prepared to go into further details, exaggerating as needed, so that Enjolras would come get her, but he interrupted her mid-sentence.

“Where are you, love? I'm coming to get you right now.” Fantine, suddenly quite sober because it was very, very unusual for Enjolras to call her love, simply explained where she was in a flat voice and then waited worriedly at the corner.

 *****

 

Twenty minutes later Fantine found herself in Enjolras's and Grantaire's apartment sobbing, curled in Enjolras's lap, her face buried in the front of his jacket, his strong arms encompassing her small shivering form as he repeated softly, “I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...”

They stayed like that for a long time, until Grantaire burst in and flew right over to them, his own arms closing around them like the rings of Saturn, holding in all the sadness until the tiniest crack in the sorrow opened up enough for Enjolras to finally speak again, “You're coming to live with us now. It'll be alright. I know you don't believe that's true now. You don't have to. We believe it enough for all of us. Come on, let's make you something to eat.”

“And we'll get you some tea,” Grantaire said, finally releasing them, but kissing them each heavily on the head before stepping away to put the kettle on.

*****

 

The next week was a swirl of activity. A stream of Uncles poured into the apartment at all hours, alternately bringing food, offering up their laps for Fantine to sit on and cry, making tea, passing tissues, telling stories about Cosette and their dear old friend Marius, Fantine’s father, who had passed away shortly after Fantine was born.

Fantine loved hearing stories about her father. She knew him mostly through her Uncles' memories. Apparently Marius had been very kind. He had once brought home a kitten he'd found in a puddle under a drainpipe and then Combeferre had to keep the kitten because Marius's landlord wouldn't allow pets. He'd also once paid for a stranger's groceries ahead of him in line because the man's debit card wouldn't work and Marius couldn't bear to see him look so embarrassed (the stranger then became a friend, now her dear Uncle Feuilly!). And Marius had fallen deeply in love with Cosette very quickly, surprising all of his friends, and then died in a fight only two years later while standing up to a drunk homophobe at a pub.

Now she'd only know her mother through memories, too.

Suddenly, the fact that she was named after her grandmother, who was also dead (in fact, Fantine had never met her since she'd died when Cosette was just a girl) made Fantine feel that she herself was made entirely of memories, of nothing solid at all, just little wisps of spirits that would soon disappear altogether. This just made her cry more. She sat on the couch and shrank onto the shoulder of her nearest Uncle, not even looking up to see who it was, but as an arm moved to circle around her she smelled the faint scent of jasmine and figured it was probably Jehan who stopped by after closing up the flower shop for the day. She fell asleep like that and managed to sleep for almost a whole day.

*****

 

Even thinking of returning to her lycée was awful for Fantine, but the head of school had called several times and all of her Uncles were in agreement that she should get back to normal life as quickly as possible.

She mostly wanted to just lie down on her mother's grave and scream.

Grantaire made them all a spectacular breakfast for her big day back, omelets with peppers and cheese, a variety of pastries, even little cherries in a decorative ceramic cup that had been Cosette's. Then he'd made coffees for himself and Enjolras, which was a twenty minute process because their current method included an ancient coffee grinder, a coffee press, a separate frother, and ground little bits of chocolate grated by hand. And tiny spoons. Fantine found herself smiling as she watched him assemble the spread of food, and it actually felt very good to smile.

Then there was the sound of the door jangling and Courfeyrac soon appeared in the kitchen, having brought his youngest child with him to cheer Fantine up. He had been assigned the task of making sure Fantine got to school in one piece since Enjolras and Grantaire were heading to work in the opposite direction of Fantine's school. Little Gavroche immediately started ricocheting in and out of Fantine's new room, climbing on the unpacked boxes, and grabbing at the few items that Fantine had taken out and placed on her dresser.

“Stop it, Gavroche! That was my mum's!” said Fantine miserably when Gavroche suddenly appeared in the kitchen with a little gold clock with the pearly face of the moon in it. Courfeyrac's arm shot out to seize the clock from Gavroche's fist just as Gavroche drew back his arm as if to give it a good throw. Courfeyrac quickly handed the clock to Fantine and, sighing, gave Gavroche his phone. Gavroche, pleased with himself, plopped down and instantly started a search for a Paw Patrol video. Courfeyrac pulled him into his lap while he turned back to the others.

“You boys go to work! I've got this!” he said, helping himself to the remainder of Enjolras's omelet with one arm and clamping down Gavroche with the other.

Enjolras and Grantaire hugged Fantine tightly and left, leaving her to leaf through her book satchel with Courfeyrac in an attempt to even remember what was even going on in her life before everything had changed. School was but a distant memory. She took a calendar out and opened it, then groaned miserably and shut it.

“Oh! Wow! Look at this! So you're taking Physics! That sounds so fun!” Courfeyrac tried, pulling a hefty book out of Fantine's satchel and smiling at her.

“I'M TAKING PHYSICS?” moaned Fantine. “Oh, why? Why?” A sudden memory of an upcoming exam came back to her and she groaned again. Next she pulled out a thick math book.

“Ooooh, and this math book looks great—Calculus! So exciting! And, oh, wait—were you supposed to read this?” Courfeyrac added, drawing out a copy of Jane Eyre with a bookmark only like a mere ten pages in.

“Oh, Courf, maybe let's just stop this?” Fantine begged. “I think I'm going to have an actual heart attack!”

Gavroche suddenly appeared at her side, having slipped off of Courfeyrac's knee, and crawled into Fantine's lap, suddenly soft and gentle. She pulled him in close, happy to have a little bit of kid-love before she went to school. Gavroche had somehow managed to find the gold clock again and this time he just sweetly held it out to her.

“Thank you, Gavroche,” she said, taking the clock from him.

“Is this your mama's moon?” he asked.

“Yes, sweetheart,” she said, a bit sadly.

“Wait, a moon?” said Courfeyrac, not having looked at it that closely when he'd extracted it from a wild Gavroche. “Let me see!”

Fantine passed it to him. “It was always sitting on my mum's dresser,” she explained. “Next to her jewelry, which of course I also saved. She had kept it there for as long as I can remember, but you know, the funny thing is, it never really told the time. She had a regular alarm clock right beside it!” Fantine laughed a little, thinking of her dear mum, and took a moment to smell Gavroche's sweet curls.

“Oh, wow!” exclaimed Courfeyrac smiling. “This actually isn't your mum's! I mean, it is but, you know, it was your dad's before that!”

“It was?”

“Oh, yeah! When I met your dad we were both at University. The first year we roomed in the same building and we had huge wooden wardrobes in our rooms that we kept our clothes in. You father was, of course, VERY organized and had, I'm afraid to say, the WORST preppy clothes you could imagine!” Fantine laughed. She had heard a lot of stories about this.

“And of course, he had them sorted by color! One time me and Feuilly decided to sneak in there and rearrange some of his stuff. You know, put some blue shirts mixed up in the green ones, hang some things facing the right and other things facing the left! It was always so much fun to see his reaction! Anyway, I saw this clock in there that day. We gave him a hard time about it, it was so...girly! Never mind that Feuilly routinely wore actual girls' skirts back then, could have had one on even that very day! Anything to get a rise out of Marius! But he was such a good sport! Always just laughed with us. Anyway, maybe it was in his family or something. It looks old.”

“It does,” said Fantine, smiling. “I'm taking it with me to school then! A good luck charm from my mum AND my dad!”

Even though it was bulky, Courfeyrac helped her fit it in her bag and then they looked at the actual functioning kitchen clock and realized they were going to be actually pretty late if they didn't rush. So, Gavroche swinging in between them holding onto one hand each, they scrambled out the door.

Fantine knew she would be leading a different life when she returned to school. A life without a mother or a father, and a bit more full of Uncles than it had been before.

And she was right, her life would be different. But the biggest changes would be due to a certain golden, moon-faced clock that had now become very special to her.


	2. Fantine Begins to Sketch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fantine is really not able to totally concentrate on school yet, and so she starts doodling during Literature, and then something unexpected happens...
> 
> (Again, still just trying to get the story set up so that I can get to the real heart of the magic, and more amazing les Amis Uncle love that causes the magic to flourish)

After valiantly finishing a whole week at school after her mother's death, Fantine decided that she could separate her friends into two groups: those who had lost someone close to them and understood what it was like, and those whose lives had been unsullied by the hand of death and just had no idea how to relate.

The worst part was that Fantine calculated she had exactly zero friends in the first group.

The group of girls she usually sat with at lunch—Charlotte, Jeanne, Emma and Elsa—had no idea what to say to her now. They giggled and made jokes among themselves, but whenever the subject of death came up (such as when Elsa squealed, “I can't believe I said something so STUPID in front of Florian! He's going to know I'm crushing on him so bad!!! I just want to crawl RIGHT IN MY GRAVE now and never see him again!”), all eyes would shift to Fantine nervously and they'd stutter and trip over their words trying to turn the conversation back on a normal track.

How had her friends managed to secure such normal, happy lives???

Luckily, most of her classes were lecture-style and involved very little interaction with others. She remembered that she actually loved physics and simply copying down the formulas on graph paper was actually a great way to give her wandering mind a break. Math, for the same reason, was also easy for her.

Literature was hardest for her. The teacher, Madame Dupont, read from a lectern and there was nothing written on the board to directly copy. If you wanted to take notes, you'd have to actually pay attention to what she was saying and then decide for yourself what to write. Fantine had not quite recovered from her mother's death enough to achieve this seemingly insurmountable feat. She was much better at just copying something already there.

And so, she just doodled in her notebook instead.

The first few pages were random squiggles and sketches of items from around the classroom, the pencil sharpener, the trashcan, the ornate swirl at the end of the ledge under the blackboard meant to hold erasers. Then one day, running out of things to sketch, Fantine decided to draw the face of the moon-faced clock, which had belonged to both her parents, that she now always carried in her book satchel.

She quietly placed the clock so that it was peeking out of satchel. The heavy textbooks underneath provided a good base. Madame Dupont continued to drone. Fantine studied the actual face of the moon etched on a pearly surface in the center of the otherwise golden timepiece. She had really not studied it very closely before, and only now noticed the intricate details.

The face of the moon was full and lovely. The eyes were glancing down bashfully, with eyelashes dripping in various lengths from the eyelids. The nose was stoic but decidedly feminine; the lips thin with just the barest hint of a smile. Fantine noticed for the first time that there was a thin shadow just behind it, almost like another moon layered underneath, as if the moon had started in one place and just hopped over to the side a bit, leaving an impression of itself behind it. Fantine felt calm just studying it. She took out a soft gray sketching pencil, taken from Grantaire's drawing supplies.

She began to sketch.

The nose took a while, she was never very good at noses. But since the subject of Jane Eyre held so little interest for her at the moment (sorry, Madame Dupont), she persevered until she got it right. She actually counted the eyelashes and it made her feel very satisfied to get them all onto the eyelid and the lengths correct.

At the very end, she added the very light impression, the shadow of the moon, to the side.

And then--

Maybe it was just fatigue. It had been a really long week. Or maybe eyestrain from concentrating so long. But the image on her page seemed to move, to almost shiver just the faintest bit.

Fantine placed her palm on the table to steady herself. Was she about to faint? She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breath.

When she felt ready, she glanced back at her drawing.

The little grains of graphite seemed to climb up out of the surface of the page like beads of liquid seeping through a paper towel. And then they moved, almost imperceptibly. Fantine was almost hypnotized by the slow movement. It took several seconds for Fantine to realize that the eyes of the moon were...opening.

And the moon was now looking right at her.


	3. Something is Actually, Definitely, Up with Fantine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The les Amis Uncles try to figure out Fantine's fainting spell, but her moon drawings are sort of taking on a life of their own. She's going to need someone else's help. And Joly knows the perfect person.

“She's opening her eyes! SHE'S OPENING HER EYES!” yelled a voice.

At first Fantine thought one of the other students had seen her drawing of the moon, and she was almost relieved that someone else had witnessed the eyes opening. 

It took her a moment to realize that she was lying on her back on the floor and a dozen or more students surrounded her, some of them looking a little freaked out and others of them looking positively gleeful, and that the student yelling was referring to her own eyes, which she then rubbed as she tried to sit up. 

She must have fainted.

Great. 

“Heavens!” exclaimed Madame Dupont who was making her way over. “Fantine! Come on, let's get you to the office and we'll call your mu—I mean we'll call someone to come get you!”

Enjolras was at the school five minutes later whispering to a group of adults that included the head of the school and the nurse. He was wearing a full suit and tie which meant he was probably at the courthouse when he got the call. Fantine felt terrible about how much work he'd missed on her account over the last couple weeks.

But when he turned around he just smiled tenderly at her and said, “Well, let's get you home, then! I have an intern taking over my clients for the day. Joly's coming over tonight to just have a look at you and make sure there's nothing wrong. And Grantaire's picking up dinner on his way home.” 

Enjolras put an arm around Fantine and picked up her book satchel with the other. Fantine was relieved to see that someone had stuffed her sketch book and the clock inside.  
***

They ended up binge watching recorded episodes of Mako Mermaids for the rest of the afternoon, apparently one of Enjolras's favorite shows. He didn't seem too upset at having the afternoon off actually.

Joly showed up around 5. His specialty was cardiology, but he was summoned at the drop of a hat by all of his friends to see to their medical needs. He had tested all of them for diabetes at one point or another, as well as checked their cholesterol levels. 

After listening to Fantine's heart and lungs and asking detailed questions about what she'd had to eat and drink that day, he concluded:

“Well, you should really should start eating a proper lunch instead of walking to Jehan's shop every day to avoid being with your friends, but you don't seem to be dehydrated, which is often the case when someone faints. You've been through a lot. And, honestly, some of it's just hormonal at this point. You are 14. You know...” and here he turned to Enjolras, “It wouldn't be a bad idea to get her connected with a female doctor. She might feel more comfortable with that now.”

“I don't see what difference that makes--” started Fantine, but Joly was already expanding excitedly on his suggestion.

“I ran into an old friend at a conference recently. Enj, do you remember Éponine from University? Well, she's a general practitioner now just a few metro stops away from you.”

“Oh, Éponine! Yes, I remember her.” said Enjolras. “She's not with the White Helmets anymore?” 

“No, she's here now, she set up a practice with her friend Musichetta.”

“She used to help out with people who got injured at protests when we were younger,” explained Enjolras. “She once carried Marius out of a particularly tumultuous protest when he broke his ankle! Remember that, Joly?”

“Poor dad!” said Fantine fondly.

“I remember that!” Joly said, smiling affectionately at the memory. “And she stitched up Bossuet countless times And remember that time you and Grantaire were arguing and he slammed his fist on the table and that light fell off the wall and hit you on the head, E?”

“JOLY! Yes. I think we've established that we remember Éponine.”

Anyway, I can give her a ring! She'd probably want to see you right away, just to set things up.”

“Alright!” Fantine agreed, now a little curious at this woman who seemed to have a pretty exciting life and also had known her father.   
***

Fantine was completely distracted the rest of the night by company. Joly ended up staying for dinner and so he called his husband Bossuet to come over too. Then Jehan stopped by to drop off some flowers that Grantaire had ordered for an opening at the studio he had planned for the next day, and he ended up staying for dinner as well. Bahorel was training for a marathon and had jogged by, seen all the lights on, and dropped in. 

They had ended up ordering even more Indian take out to add to what Grantaire had brought home. Fantine felt like it was the first time she'd managed to feel really and truly full since her mother had died.   
***

Later that night, as she crawled into bed, she saw that Enjolras had put her book satchel beside her bed. She took out the clock, a little hesitantly.

Again, the calm face of the moon quieted her soul. She stared at it a while, counted the eyelashes on the moon's heavy eyelids and remembered how carefully she'd drawn them, how she'd even added the slightly rounded point at the ends of each one.

She pulled her drawing out to check. It looked flat and sterile to her now, the eyes of the moon cast downwards just like she'd drawn them, not staring directly at her. She was relieved. 

Still, it was, she admitted, her best drawing yet. She still felt deeply drawn to the subject matter itself, and decided to prop the clock back up and draw it again. She had once seen Grantaire draw the same exact thing over and over (the pair of the shoes that Enjolras always wore to court) from different angles just to really explore the subject. This feeling she had must be the same thing. She settled down on her bed.

This time around the sketching came more easily to her, the slight arch of the smile, the thin shadow behind the full shape of the moon, the soft cheeks. She got the nose right in only two tries. 

She smiled at the finished product. Maybe she should get out of her math/science focus and think about an arts focus instead. Grantaire would surely support that.

Then, the drawing seemed to pulse, just a bit.

No, Fantine thought. 

But she leaned in. She was determined to figure out what was going on. And, now suddenly alert, and fully expecting something to happen, she was flatly determined not to faint.

The granules of graphite on the page gave another small pulse as she stared at them, and then slowly turned to shiny liquid beads that eased themselves above the surface of the paper. Fantine sharply took in her breath as she saw the eyes of her moon open, but then seconds later she remembered to breathe again.

“What's going on?” she demanded as softly as she could, putting one foot on the ground, ready to bolt.

When the moon opened it's mouth, Fantine's body involuntarily jumped up and she found herself suddenly standing four feet away, quaking at the end of her bed but still staring at her drawing.

“Don't be afraid,” a velvety voice intoned from the surface of the sketch book.

“Fuck!” said Fantine, not normally one to swear. But. FUCK.

“Don't be afraid,” the voice continued. “I have been waiting to meet you for a long time.” 

“Oh, my god! Okay! Oh, my god!” Fantine could not think of anything useful to say in this situation.

“Your father told me this might happen. And he asked me to wait for you,” the watery, soft voice was slowing down. “He wasn't sure if you'd...have...the...magic...or...........not.” 

And then the voice stopped. Fantine watched as the mouth slowly closed, and the eyes shut, and the beads of liquid graphite slowly sank back into the paper. It was as if her drawing had gone back to sleep. 

Fantine crept over to the sketchbook and with one quick movement flicked the cover shut and jumped back to the end of the bed.

Then she ran out of the room and paced back and forth in the living room, not sure what to do. Tell her Uncles? Was she going crazy?

Instead, she knocked on their door and said, “I'm okay, but...can I sleep in here tonight? I'm kind of...afraid, I guess.”

And Grantaire found lots of pillows and soft blankets and put them on the floor on his side of the bed and slept with his hand out, touching her shoulder.


	4. Éponine Proves to Be a Huge Help and Is Also Very Much In-the-Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fantine gets to see Dr. Éponine and spills the beans about what's been going on.

Fantine questioned why the need for a female doctor was really ever a concern when no less than four of her Uncles decided to accompany her to her first visit with Dr. Éponine Thernardier.

Grantaire and Bossuet had both taken the morning off to bring her, and then Feuilly joined them since he was only a metro stop or two away. Fantine had to laugh when Courfeyrac appeared in the waiting room just after she'd signed in with the secretary, pulling a squirming Gavroche along with him.

“Fancy seeing you here!” she laughed.

“Well, I think Gavroche has an ear infection,” Courfeyrac explained. “That would explain some of his terrible behavior lately,” he added, removing Gavroche from where he had climbed into a large potted plant.

“Indeed!” said Bossuet, coming over to intercept Gavroche, who immediately reached up and pinched his nose. “Someone wrote all over the underside of our table in permanent marker the last time your family was over. It's all covered in G's and V's by someone who doesn't look like they've been writing for very long!” But he kissed Gavroche on the cheek and swung him up in the air.

“They do take walk-ins here!” Bossuet added. “I'm sure Joly told you.”

A nurse appeared from behind a desk, “Fantine?”

“That's me!” There were a couple of minutes of Fantine explaining to her Uncles that she was more than capable of handling it on her own and that they should just hang out in the waiting room. Grantaire made her promise to come get him or text if she needed anything at all.

After getting weighed and measured by the nurse, Fantine entered one of the small examination rooms. The nurse took her blood pressure and her temperature.

Dr. Thenardier soon appeared. She was beautiful, thought Fantine. Her long dark hair was pulled up in a swirl and she looked very strong. Fantine thought she might like to draw her.

She greeted Fantine warmly with, “Please call me Éponine! Joly told me that Marius was your father. I knew him very well, actually. It seems silly to go by my surname with his daughter.” Éponine then reached over and squeezed Fantine's hand. “I'm so sorry about your parents, dear.” There was a little pause as Fantine just nodded. “Tell me what's going on with you.”

Fantine began with the fainting spell. Éponine asked the same basic questions Joly had and wrote notes in a clipboard while she listened. What had she had to eat that day? Drink? Was she feeling stress about returning to school? Was she getting enough sleep? What was happening just before she fainted?

Fantine took a deep breath. She wasn't sure how much she could say.

“Well, actually something did happen just before I fainted.”

Éponine nodded, encouraging her.

“I was drawing in class. Just trying to pass the time. And when I was looking at my drawing...it...moved a little?”

“A little? Can you tell me more?” Éponine sounded entirely neutral about it, very professional.

“Yes, well...” Fantine took a leap of faith. “Actually, my drawing...it kind of changed, like, changed a lot. My drawing, it was of a moon with a face, and...the eyes...” She couldn't finish. She bit her lip. “They opened.”

Éponine paused, put her pen and clipboard down, and nodded.

“Okay,” she said.

There was a pause and Fantine took a deep breath. She had done it. She had told someone what happened. Why didn't she feel better yet?

“Where did you get the idea for this drawing from?” she asked.

“From a clock. A clock that was my dad's. And my mum had always kept it on her dresser. Even though it didn't work. I had it at school with me. It supposed to be my...” and then the thought made her sad, so she ended quietly with, “ my lucky charm.”

“Yes,” said Éponine. “I can see why.” She smiled. “Now, do you draw a lot? And has something like this ever happened before? Or...since?”

Fantine let her breath out. She was going to go for it. And if Éponine referred her to a mental health specialist, so be it. It would be a relief, she realized.

“I drew the moon face again that same night. I guess I had the feeling I'd be really good at drawing it again. And maybe I was curious?” She gathered her strength. “And this time, my drawing moved, a LOT, and it....it talked, Éponine,” she started crying. “It talked right to me!”

Éponine got up and put her hands on Fantine's shoulders, somewhat affectionately, but also with a distinct measure of strength. It was like she was saying, “I've got this, kid.” Then she asked, “What did it say?”

And because Éponine seemed strong enough to handle the craziness of the truth, Fantine told her.

“Fantine,” she said. “I had no idea this was a possibility or I would have tried to find you earlier.” She handed her a box of tissues.

“You're going to be fine. You're going to be absolutely fine. I know what's going on and I want to tell you more about it, but that's going to take a long time and you have a host of gentlemen out there who are going to storm in here if I keep you much longer,” she said.

Suddenly they heard an absolutely blood-curdling scream come from down the hallway. It lasted a long twenty seconds.

“My cousin, Gavroche,” said Fantine smiling. “I don't think he likes doctors.”

“Musichetta can handle him,” Éponine laughed. “I just want you to know a couple things, and then we need to make a plan to meet again. I can tell you more then.”

“Yes, please!” said Fantine eagerly.

“First of all, you have...we'll call it a gift. You have a magical gift and it comes to you when you draw your talisman, which sounds like it's the same as your father's, the face of the moon.”

Fantine needed more tissues for this. She wasn't sure why finally hearing the truth was making her cry.

“And when you learn more about how to use your magic,” Éponine continued, “You can use it to do some very, very wonderful things. But until then, you're going to need some help getting to know how to use it. And I can help you with that.”

“Oh, Éponine. Thank you so much. Thank you SO MUCH.”

“You know, you might not want to draw your talisman until we talk more. Unless you feel okay exploring it. It's up to you, it's YOUR talisman, but just know that as long as you don't actually draw your talisman, your magic will stay away. Now, let's see, if I want to set up a time to see you again, which of those men should I talk to?”

“Oh, Uncle Grantaire! He and my Uncle Enjolras are my guardians. I'll introduce you!”

Éponine laughed. “Oh, don't worry! I know Grantaire!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On a side note: After Éponine hugs all of her old friends in the waiting room and then talks a bit more to Grantaire about logistics, Courfeyrac returns with a surly-looking Gavroche who, apparently, has perfectly healthy ears but a pretty nasty case of being a typical three year old. They all go out for pizza to “celebrate” the good news. Bossuet, who helped Courfeyrac manage Gavroche in the examination room, privately celebrates getting Musichetta's phone number. He can't wait to introduce her to Joly!


	5. When They Say Disneyland is Magical, I Don't Think This is What They Mean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone goes to Disneyland Paris to celebrate Bahorel's 40th birthday, but there is a minor disaster and Fantine makes a quick decision.

Fantine had every intention of waiting to explore her magic until she'd talked more with Éponine. But that's not how things worked out, thanks in part to Gavroche.

Grantaire had invited Éponine over for Sunday brunch, figuring that she could then stay and chat with Fantine privately afterward. Friday night Courfeyrac and Combeferre's six year old twin daughters, Lina and Louisa, had a class play, a reworking of The Little Mermaid, so everyone went, filling a whole row in the school's auditorium. Then, Saturday was Bahorel's 40th birthday and he wanted, of course, to spend it at Disneyland Paris.

They all met there around noon. Enjolras felt like they should come up with a game plan so as to be able to cover as many key rides as possible in the most efficient manner. He had even taken into account who liked sudden drops, who didn't mind constant spinning, who was okay with getting wet, which rides had height restrictions, etc. He had taken out his phone to show everyone a certain app, but he got made fun of mercilessly by the other Amis.

“You haven't scheduled us a potty break, Enj!” complained Feuilly, shaking his finger at him.

“And I usually require a hotdog immediately after the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, but I don't see a place to click on that!” added Bahorel.

“I say we just wing it!” concluded Jehan, to which everyone but Enjolras heartily agreed.

They started out getting dizzy on the Cars quatre Roues Rallye, then rode on the Flying Carpets. Peter Pan's Flight was a hit with everyone, followed by the Carousel and the Teacups.

At that point Enjolras, Joly and Combeferre broke away to take the little kids on some kiddie rides (Enjolras was feeling like the Teacups had perhaps been a gastronomical mistake) while the others went a different direction to check out some of the attractions meant for thrill-seekers.

Fantine got to choose first and was happy to discover that the line wasn't too bad at the Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain. Grantaire nearly ripped her arm off in the middle of the ride from clutching it so tightly, and Jehan, sitting behind her, nearly puked. Still, they persevered through Big Thunder Mountain and Indiana Jones before deciding to meet the others for dinner.

A group text brought everyone to the Cowboy Cookout Barbecue. While waiting in the queue to get in, Combeferre suggested the children should all go use the bathroom and wash their hands.

Louisa and Lina were at the age that they did not want to go in the men's room with their fathers, and the Family bathroom had a long line, so Fantine offered to go with them in the Women's. They were there for quite some time since the girls found the automatic blow dryers hilarious, and Fantine took about 20 pictures of their hair blowing around in all directions.

When they emerged from the bathroom, it looked like chaos had broken out among the Uncles. Enjolras was looking panicked in all directions, Courfeyrac was running through a landscaped median, looking behind all the bushes. Joly was frantically on his phone. Feuilly was circling the restaurant. The others were entirely gone. Worst of all, a security guard was talking to a frantic Combeferre. Fantine and the girls ran over.

“He was here not one minute ago!” Combeferre was saying, his voice wavering. “He was pulling on my leg asking for ice cream, and I turned to take a picture, and then he was gone!” He held up his phone for the security guard to see. “And this is what he looks like. He's only three. God, I can't believe he'd just disappear like this!”

By this point, Louisa and Lina were both hovering around Combeferre, pulling on his arms, wondering what had happened to their brother.

“Fantine!” Combeferre exclaimed. “We can't find Gavroche! Please, please, can you keep the girls here while we look for him?” He handed her his whole wallet and said, “Stay here and eat dinner and get them ice cream, whatever, but please don't leave the area, and please stay with them, and girls, you stay with Fantine, okay?”

Fantine was nodding and repeating, “Of course! Of course!” when Joly appeared and said, “We'll all reply to the group text I just sent if anyone finds him. I'm checking the bathroom again and then going towards the entrance.”

They both took off and within a few seconds all the Uncles had vanished.

Louisa and Lina both looked at Fantine, worry very clearly on their faces, but Lina couldn't help but suggest, “Does this mean we can have ice cream before dinner?” to which Fantine sighed and nodded.

Sitting at a table a little later, both girls halfway through a double scoop with a pile of napkins between them, Fantine checked her phone. No text yet saying they'd found Gavroche. Just one from Combeferre from five minutes before saying the security guards were checking the parking lots. Gavroche had now been missing almost half an hour. Fantine knew Gavroche could be a little naughty sometimes, but she didn't think he'd deliberately take off and hide. She was very worried.

Fantine wondered how her magic really worked. If only she'd talked to Éponine about it a little more at the doctor's office! She didn't even have anything to write with even if she wanted to draw her talisman. But there was a gift store nearby.

Not wanting to take any chances, she held both girls' sticky hands while they continued to eat their ice cream, and dragged them into the store, even though the sign said “No Food or Drink Inside.” A clerk came over as if to point this out, but Fantine just grabbed a Buzz Lightyear themed stationary set and thrust it at the him.

“I just need to get this quickly, okay?” The clerk thankfully obliged.

Back out at the table, Fantine pressed down on the head of Buzz Lightyear to make the tip of the pen descend and opened up the pad of paper.

“What are you going to draw?” asked Louisa.

“Just something,” said Fantine, nervously looking at the girls. It's not like she could go sit somewhere privately and do this. Then they might have three missing kids! She wasn't even sure if this was going to work, but she carefully added, “This is a REALLY special pen, you know!” just in case.

The girls watched as Fantine drew the moon face. She was relying entirely on muscle memory as she tried to recall the number of eyelashes, the height of the nose, the angle of the smile, the width of the little shadow to the side. She finished the last line and waited, concentrating hard on the ink and trying to avoid the looks on Louisa and Lina's faces.

As she stared, the ink turned to gel, and once again rose off the surface of the paper.

Fantine did not waste a moment when the eyes opened, and practically shouted, “Where is Gavroche? Please, tell me where he is!”

The moon smiled. Fantine was vaguely aware that one of the girls dropped her cone right on the ground when this happened.

“I can see him. He's okay.” the watery voice murmured.

And then, something unexpected happened. The lines of ink pulsed, shrank back, and separated back into individual drops. The drops began slowly creeping across the paper, rearranging themselves, almost hypnotizing the three girls as they did so.

Soon, some definite shapes emerged. A circle in the center, two smaller circles that soon became eyes, followed by large flattened ovals at either side, probably ears. And then, slowly, a long trunk pulled down from the center of the face. An elephant.

“It's Dumbo!” squealed Louisa.

Then the drops of ink sank back into the paper and disappeared.

Fantine sprang up. “He's at Dumbo the Flying Elephant! Come on girls! Lina, please, can we get rid of that cone?” Lina was absolutely covered in chocolate and they ended up just leaving the cone right on the pile of napkins, the other cone melting on the ground under the table, and then dashed away, all holding hands.

Several people gave them looks as Fantine pulled the girls through some crowded spots and followed the signs for the Flying Elephant ride.

When they got there, they slowed down and began searching for Gavroche. There were so many people it was difficult, but about three quarters of the way around the perimeter of the ride they spotted him, his face almost gray with fright, wandering between families, looking worriedly up at the scores of unfamiliar faces.

“GAVROCHE!” they all screamed and his head jerked up. They descended on him like a heap of puppies, his sisters alternately hugging him and squeezing his hands.

Fantine pulled them all to the side and sent out a group text, “FOUND HIM, AT FLYING ELEPHANTS. COME HERE, NOW!”

Courfeyrac arrived first and it wasn't until Gavroche was safely in his arms that the little boy finally dissolved into huge sobs and buried his head in his father's chest, refusing to look up at anyone. He had really been very scared. Combeferre was there a couple minutes later and the three of them sat on a bench together, hugging Gavroche and whispering to him. Fantine looked at them and her heart finally stopped beating so fast.

She walked over to where the others had gathered a few meters away, trying to give Gavroche and his parents some space. Joly and Enjolras had already procured a bunch of wet paper towels and were trying to sponge off Louisa and Lina, who were talking rather animatedly to their Uncles.

“And then it made a picture! And it was Dumbo! And I saw that it was Dumbo before anyone else did!”

“No, I knew it was Dumbo, too! I just didn't say anything!”

“And then Fantine was like, LET'S RUN! And...”

“Did we tell you it talked???!!!! Like this: 'Heeeeeeeeeee's oooookaaaaaaayyyy!' It was sooo cool!”

Several pairs of confused eyes turned toward Fantine.

“Well,” said Grantaire finally. “I....think we all owe you a big thank you, Fantine! But, what exactly...”

“Please Uncle R,” said Fantine, a little desperately. “I...I'm not sure how to explain. But.....” She looked up as a very large Baloo the Bear passed by, followed by Daisy Duck. “Maybe not here? Maybe it would be easier when Éponine comes over?”

And so, the intimate brunch for four scheduled for the following morning became a large brunch for the entire set of Uncles, plus children, since all of them wanted to know what the girls could possibly all be talking about.

Later, Gavroche fell asleep on a boat as “It's a Small World” played overhead, safely in Combeferre's lap.


	6. Brunch and Besties and a little bit of Brouhaha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Éponine handles all the explaining, a new direction for the Amis comes up, and kids will be kids.

Fantine had to hand it to Éponine, she knew how to control a large group of excited Uncles. 

The kitchen counter was absolutely filled with food. Enjolras had made a large platter of blintzes because he knew they were Fantine's favorite. He'd also bought a very specific kind of marmalade that was apparently a favorite of Éponine's from when they were in University together. This caused Éponine to kiss him right on the cheek and squeeze his hand. Joly and Bossuet had brought several quiches. Feuilly had brought a sausage and apple baked casserole. Combeferre had made cupcakes. There were also pastries, mimosas, cheeses, fruit trays and flowers.

Everyone ended up sitting around the living room holding plates on their laps, focused entirely on Éponine who was at the center on a big leather armchair. She was talking a bit about her time spent with various humanitarian organizations and her decision to move back to Paris.

“I knew I had to come back,” she was saying. “I knew that someone here needed me, someone born with a special gift, an important gift. I just didn't know who it was.” She smiled at Fantine. “But I was having dreams. And I was sensing things.” She paused and put her cup down on the end table to her side. 

The room had finally gotten quiet. Even Louisa and Lina, who were secretly licking the frosting off of the cupcakes and returning the slick bald lumps of cake to the serving tray, had come over to sit close enough to hear. Fantine put her plate down and curled up under Grantaire's arm. She wondered how much Éponine would say in front of everyone. Surely some of this had to be kept secret? She was a little nervous, apprehensive.

“So, Fantine,” said Éponine. “I'll explain a little bit to your Uncles about what's going on. But we'll have time to talk more, just me and you.” Grantaire was nodding and squeezing Fantine's shoulder.

“Fantine has a special gift that allows her to use her senses more widely than what ordinary people can. She can see things and hear things that others can't. The special things that she can see or hear are meant especially for her specifically. And to get to those special...we'll call them 'messages', she has to draw a picture of an object that has held magic in her family for many generations. That object is a moon clock, as you all probably know by now. When she draws this particular picture, it is like she is inviting the magic to come to her.”

There were a few skeptical looks from around the room, but then everyone gave a start when Gavroche suddenly jumped out from under the coffee table, brandishing the moon-faced clock above his head. “Here it is!” he declared, nearly knocking over a nearby mimosa in his joy.

“Gavroche!” Fantine exclaimed, more surprised than upset. “How did you even find it? I thought I'd hidden it pretty well!” 

Courfeyrac neatly removed the clock from Gavroche's fist and passed it over to Fantine. Gavroche's mouth gaped, ready to protest loudly, but Bossuet plunked a cupcake into his open hand and Courfeyrac asked, “Does this mean that Fantine can now magically turn Gavroche into an astonishingly courteous, well-mannered three year old?”

This broke the ice a bit and others joined in with similar requests.

“Can she tidy my house just by drawing pictures?” asked Feuilly.

“And help me win the marathon?” Bahorel put in. 

“And get my orchids to bloom?” added Jehan.

“Guys!” squealed Fantine, but fondly.

“I wouldn't think so,” Éponine laughed. “But Fantine has to figure out her own magic. It took me years to gain an understanding of mine. And I think Marius was just beginning to control his well. I do know, “ she added thoughtfully, “that it has to be used for good.”

There was a bit of a pause then as everyone reflected on Éponine's words. 

“And so that's why you're a doctor, right?” asked Fantine. “Because you can use your magic for good?”

“Yes,” answered Éponine, and Fantine could see in her eyes that there were volumes and volumes of stories that she could tell about that. 

Instead, Éponine picked up her coffee again. “I'm sure you know that this information needs to be kept within this group,” she said. “Code of honor. Like our old days together. When we all wanted to change the world.” This got a sentimental smile from everyone.

“But,” said Combeferre, motioning towards the children, all three of whom were now fairly covered in chocolate and climbing over the adults on the couch. “I'm not sure if the kids will understand how important that is.”

“They seem to understand more than what you think they do,” replied Éponine. “We'll have to just work with that. It's part of the risk we take when we use magic in the world. Believe it or not, it takes all kinds of people to change the world—those with magic and those who are just good people doing the right things. Like all of you.”

“Fantine,” said Enjolras softly, coming over and sitting on the floor next to her. “Are you feeling okay about all this?” He put his hand on her knee and she put her hand on top of his.

“I do, Uncle E, I do,” Fantine replied, thinking. “You know, I actually feel...better that all of you know. I felt so alone at first. And now, I feel more like...it's all going to be okay.” 

Fantine didn't think she had adequately put into words what she was feeling. How could she explain how grateful she was that everyone in the room now knew something so strange about her, and yet instead of totally freaking out, Bossuet was just busily cutting a pastry in half to share with Joly. Jehan was adding some honey to his tea and then glancing up to give Fantine a sweet little wink. Combeferre was re braiding Lina's hair where it had come loose. Grantaire was idly playing with Fantine's woven bracelet. Everything was so cozy and perfect, and Fantine hadn't known she could ever feel that way without her mother. 

“Just checking, you've been awfully quiet,” explained Enjolras, squeezing her knee. “Well, what next?” he asked, ever the practical one, turning to Éponine. “You'll need to be spending some time with Fantine, I take it?”

“Yes!” said Éponine and Fantine at the same time.

And then there was talk of schedules and school, and whether Fantine could spend the summer with Éponine in America, putting her magic to good use by solving some problems going on there, and whether some of the Uncles might want to go along too. 

This got the adults talking animatedly about how they could revive their old weekly meetings and really tackle some current world issues head on. Phones were open, calendar apps were being consulted.

They were soon interrupted by the squeals and shrieks of three very wet children who had managed to escape to Grantaire and Enjolras's deluxe shower when the adults weren't looking, and had turned on the shower head which boasted an exciting array of 10 different spray settings. There was a clatter of dishes as the children poured into the kitchen, always just a bit beyond the reach of any adult.

“Oh, Goddess help us,” said Combeferre, closing his eyes for a moment.

“Well, maybe I could help you out first,” said Fantine smiling.

And everyone got to find out firsthand the extent to which Fantine's magic really could tidy up a big mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't quite the ending I was hoping for, but it was the best I could do!


End file.
